Madison-based ballet company receives CARES funds

Madison-based ballet company receives CARES funds

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Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet of Madison has been awarded a $5,900 MAC CARES Emergency Grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission. This grant is a portion of the approximately $441,100 in CARES Act COVID-19 recovery funding MAC received from the National Endowment for the Arts. In accordance with grant guidelines, the funding awarded to MMB will be used to support salaries for permanent, full-time artistic staff.

"MMB is thankful for the support of the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts," said MMB artistic director Jennifer Beasley. "The COVID-19 crisis and resulting shut-down of the economy forced MMB to cancel our spring performance of the full-length ballet "Frozen Heart." We were only a couple of weeks from the performance. Not only did we lose revenue from ticket sales, we had already incurred many expenses related to the performance at the time of cancellation."

According to Beasley, the Mississippi Arts Commission acted quickly to assist MMB and other Mississippi arts organizations affected by COVID-19. 

"We are incredibly grateful to Congress, the President, and the NEA for providing this much-needed recovery funding for the arts," said Malcolm White, executive director of MAC. "Like much of the economy, the arts sector in Mississippi and the nation have faced significant challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Closing facilities and canceling events equates to lost revenue. We are thankful that the federal government has recognized this need and has responded."

Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet is a pre-professional, non-profit ballet company based in Madison.






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